Secret Identities
by Light Guardian
Summary: Someone's past catches up with them and its not who you think.
1. Startling Discoveries

Disclaimer: I do not own RK or its cast.   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Secret Identities   
By Light Guardian   
  
  
  


_ Blood curdling screams, clashing swords,_   
_ The deadly glint of the sword, the face of death,_   
_ The coppery scent of blood, the putrid sent of death,_   
_ The sticky feel of blood as it sprays off the victim gusts,_   
_ And the looming horror that it was all because of you._   
_ This and more all memories, all vivid as if yesterday_   
_ You can't run, you can't hide,_   
_ For the past will always catch up with us, for better or worse._   
  


It all started when Kaoru got a letter. She read it face expressionless then she quickly burned it in the incinerator when she thought no one was looking. Little did she know that a certain student saw the exchange and would later tell the others. 

Megumi clung to Kenshin's arm as the tachi ate a Akabeko, grinning cheekily at Kaoru. Her smug look turned to a look of surprise as she realised that Kaoru was paying her no heed. Trying another approach, Megumi poured Kenshin some sake and gave it to Kenshin purring suggestively, "After this how about we go to my place?" This statement got everyone's attention, as they stopped what they were doing to peer at Kaoru cautiously. What they found shocked them, Kaoru was starting into space face expressionless, oblivious to all. She ate mechanically, face devoid of emotion, shocking for this vibrant girl. 

"Kaoru, daijobu?" Kenshin asked to no sucess as she continued what she was doing. Worried Yahiko reached out a hand to touch Kaoru. Everyone jumped as Kaoru's hand shot out to grab the offending object before he could touch her. She looked at the hand the looked up, snaping out of her reverie. 

" Is there something wrong?" She asked innocently smilling shyly at the the stunned group. 

"Kaoru, daijobu?" Kenshin asked. 

"Daijobu, i'm sorry I was just thinking." She replied off handedly. Dinner continued quietly as everyone once in a while snuck discreet glances at the subject of their concern. 

~The Next Day~ 

They gang was eating breakfeast the same as usual except there was a waryness that hung in the air. Kaoru lifted her tea cup to her lips sipping daintly. Yahiko looked at her and snorted, "Don't act like you're something you're not." Megumi decided to enter at that moment. 

"He's right Tanuki chan. You could never be prim or proper. You'd never be sophisticated like me, your just a tomboy, and a spoiled one at that. You never had to suffer any hardships like the rest of us." Megumi's statement left everyone gasping, they prepared for Kaoru to burst into tears, but she surprised them again. She looked up and gave Megumi an amused look. 

" Are you done?" Their eyes bugged out at her response. "What would you know about me? You guys never bothered to find out my past. What you know about me is close to nothing. All you know it what I want you to know or what I let on. Yea sure, keep telling yourself that I was the spoiled brat with the easy life. If you were lucky it might have been true." Kaoru said with a bit of contempt. All of a sudden Kenshin felt something flying at them, Kaoru in particular. He had not time to react except to at her in horror waiting for her to be dead in a fraction of a second. He was not prepared to hear a thud outside as Kaoru sipped her tea unharmed. 

"So the old man was right. You're reflexes are incredible, had I not moved after I had thrown I would be pinned to your tree right now." A cheerful familiar voice called out. The gang opened the torn shoji door to see Soujiro standing next to a tree with daggar deeply embedded into it. " I believe this belongs to you, its from Tatsuya." Everyone looked for who he was talking about as Kaoru continued to sit calmly at the breakfeast table sipping her tea. " I came to give this to you and to meet the famous Hittoriki Kaze. Isn't that right Kayama Kaoru, or should I say Toouri Kaoru." At this statement Kaoru's eyes snapped open. Before they could blink, Kaoru held Soujiro by his throat. 

"Don't call me that, the Hittoriki Kaze and Toouri Kaoru are dead." She snarled. Her face cold with fury. 

"Aparently not or you wouldn't have broken your facade of the innocence you lost." At this, she dropped Soujiro and her fury as her face molded into a great sense of loss and turmoil. Then it darkened. 

"What would you know about me?" She demanded coldly. 

" Enough to tell you, take off your mask." He replied. 

" I guess there's no hiding the truth anymore." Everyone look surprised as the Kaoru they thought they knew disappeared infront of their eyes. Then they looked at her inquisitively as she started fumbling for something behind her ear. A large gasp arose around the group as she started peeling her face off. Then she pulled on her pony tail and it came of revealing a wig. Everything muted as a river of the finest black silk ran down her back, seemingly with a life of its own. She had banes that frame her face and what a face it was. It was delicate with porcelain features. Her eyes were vibrant as ever. She had rosey cheeks, gracefully curved eyebrows, cherry lips, and an amazing complexion. In other words she was breath taking. "This is the first time in four years since anyone has seen this face." Everyone noted the change in voice as well. Although exasperated it was lovely and calming, like water flowing in a brooke. 

Author's notes: well? What did you guy's think? Should I continue? Should I give alternate pairings? Did i write anything wrong? Give me feed back. If i don't get enough reviews I might not even consider continuing. Oh well gotta go to sleep it 2:15 already. Cya. 


	2. The Story Unfolds

Author's Note: AAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!! I'm so sorry for not updating. I had all these tests and all this homework. You can tell how sorry I am when you see that I'm writing on a school day. Also when I'm writing on the computer that doesn't have my fics and freezes all the time. It already froze once before I saved any of my work. My mom won't let me on it. She doesn't seem to like me writing or reading.   
  
  
  
  
  
  


Everyone had to sit down before they collapsed. The sweet, innocent and carefree Kaoru they knew was no more. Soujiro looked at them sympathetically. Kaoru raised a finely arched eyebrow at them and sighed. "I guess we better go in and I'll explain over a cup of tea." She led everyone into the building. When they were seated Kaoru started her tale. 

"If you ask Genzai or Tae you'll find out that the Kamiyas found me and adopted me. However when they found me I was already wearing the mask of a 14-year-old. A girl that became the girl you know now. However that was not true. I was really a 16-year-old branded and stained by war. For in reality my life was not as joyous and carefree as you all think, no it was far from that. 

I was 4 when it first began. My parents were murdered before my eyes. I was sold into slavery and whipped and beaten for things beyond my understanding back then. At age 8 I was bought by a man who taught me sword arts and treated me kindly. I was fooled into thinking someone actually cared. However I found that was a lie when he drafted me into the army. I never knew which side I was on. The only thing I heard was kill this man or I'll do worse things then you can imagine. When I first resisted killing, they would capture an innocent and kill them painfully slow before me. 

I became but a mere pawn, a mindless killing machine and it was then I lost myself and my sanity. I lived to kill so that those who did not deserve it would not suffer a fate worse then death. Every time I killed I heard the bloodcurdling screams of the innocent, and saw the horrifying look of pleading eyes wanting to know why they had to suffer. They were filled with a question that you could just not justify or answer. It was this that made me numb to the instant fear emanating from the victim before I swiftly killed the victim. 

I was covered in scars from my previous enslavement and from my mistakes and hesitation when making a kill. It was while these killings that my skill rose and reached its peak and I became the Hittorikiri Kaze. 

When I had had enough I staged my death and ran away disguised as a different girl and that was how they found me. Pretending to be just Kaoru a girl with no past. They took me in and taught me all they knew. I could never figure out why though, maybe that is one of the reasons I took you guys in. I never knew why I did that but I did." 

There was silence after Kaoru's tragic monologue. Kaoru had told this in a bored but factual way that let you know it was true but the was more that she was unwilling to talk about. There was something about her warning them not to question her or to probe. 

It was then that some of her weariness poked through. She seemed old and tired of it all. 

" If you want to know right now I am actually 20 years old." She spoke up breaking the silence startling people out of their stupor. " Do not pity me Himura san." Kaoru said hurting Kenshin deeply even though he hid it well. 

The unsettling silence made Yahiko uneasy. Wanting to break it up and bring back the comforting familiarity, Yahiko swung his boken at Kaoru's unsuspecting head. Time seemingly stopped as before Kenshin could warn Yahiko not to bait the new and unfamiliar they found Kaoru's hand griping the boken with one hand as the rest of her seemed placidly drinking tea as if she had no care in the world. Her grip tightened and the sound of crunching wood could be heard as the boken splintered. 

" Do not bait me Moujin san." She replied calmly not looking up nor bothering to open her eyes. Everyone was stunned by her coldness and lack of familiarity.   


Author's Note: So what did you guys think? I wrote a chappie for this story because this had the most reviews per chapter. I originally started on a different idea for this chapter but I changed my mind when I got so far into this idea. Yea yea I know she is a bit cold. Fine, really could but don't worry she'll warm up in coming chapters. 


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